Are you going to do it? Are you going to be the first person to take a kicker in your fantasy football draft?
While we wouldn't necessarily recommend that strategy -- there's a case to be made for not even drafting a kicker and heading to the waiver wire after your draft instead -- the kicker position shouldn't be overlooked.
After all, the No. 1 kicker in fantasy last season, Daniel Carlson, scored more fantasy points (174) than all but eight wide receivers in non-PPR leagues, per FantasyPros.
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If you're going to use a draft pick on a kicker, though, you'd better make it count. To ensure your kicker draft capital doesn't go to waste, read on for our top 10 kickers in fantasy football entering the 2022 season.
1. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens (Bye Week: 10)
How consistently good is Tucker? He's been a top-four fantasy kicker in four of the past five seasons and has made at least 89 percent of his kicks in six consecutive seasons. If Tucker isn't the first kicker off the board in your league, grab him with the next pick.
NFL
2. Matt Gay, Los Angeles Rams (Bye Week: 7)
Gay kicks in a dome for a high-powered offense, making him another high-floor, high-ceiling option. Gay also tied for the NFL lead in kicks made between 30 and 39 yards last season (15), a sign that he wasn't relying on a few deep kicks to finish as the No. 5 kicker in fantasy last season.
3. Daniel Carlson, Las Vegas Raiders (Bye Week: 6)
Carlson led the NFL in field goals made (40) last season, and his new head coach, Josh McDaniels, helped Nick Folk finish as the No. 2 kicker in fantasy in 2021. There's an element of the unknown with McDaniels at the helm, but Carlson may have the most upside on the board.
4. Tyler Bass, Buffalo Bills (Bye Week: 7)
The only downside with Bass is that Buffalo's offense might be too good; the Bills scored a touchdown on 66 percent of their red zone trips in 2021, tops in the NFL. It's always a safe bet to draft a kicker in a potent offense, however, and if Buffalo stalls on just a handful of extra red zone possessions, Bass should be a top-five kicker.
5. Evan McPherson, Cincinnati Bengals (Bye Week: 10)
The Bengals' 23-year-old sensation earned folk hero status in the 2021 postseason by making all 14 of his field goal attempts and led the NFL during the regular season with nine field goals of 50-plus yards on 11 attempts. Even if his deep attempts decrease, McPherson should be one of the first five kickers drafted.
6. Harrison Butker, Kansas City Chiefs (Bye Week: 8)
The bad news: Butker ranked a distant 19th in field goals made last season (25). The good news: He's still one of the game's most efficient kickers and could see more opportunities in 2022 now that touchdown machine Tyreek Hill is off the roster.
7. Nick Folk, New England Patriots (Bye Week: 10)
Folk isn't repeating as the No. 2 kicker in fantasy this season. Not with some combination of Matt Patricia, Joe Judge and Bill Belichick calling plays for Mac Jones instead of Josh McDaniels. But Jones seems poised to make a Year 2 leap and at the very least should get New England into scoring position enough to make Folk a top-10 kicker.
8. Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos (Bye Week: 9)
Do you believe in Russell Wilson transforming the Broncos into a top-15 offense? If so, then McManus is worth the pickup. His ability to make long kicks in Denver's high altitude is an added bonus, although his accuracy (81.9 percent in his career) leaves something to be desired.
9. Matt Prater, Arizona Cardinals (Bye Week: 13)
Only McPherson attempted more kicks of 50-plus yards in 2021 than Prater (10), who will play 13 of his 17 games in a dome this season for an offense led by dynamic QB Kyler Murray. Prater is a pretty safe bet for a top-10 finish.
10. Ryan Succop, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Bye Week: 11)
You'd think Succop would be higher on this list given his situation, but he ranked a distant 15th in fantasy points last season despite kicking for the NFL's No. 2 offense. The fact that Tom Brady is his quarterback earns Succop a spot in our top 10, but don't reach for him.
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